CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/674,404, attorney docket number 0205-00086, filed concurrently herewith. The disclosure of the abovementioned application is hereby incorporated by reference and made a part hereof the same as if fully set forth herein.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to shock absorbing devices and, more particularly, to a shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus operable to provide a variable degree of damping in engine mounting and other applications.
2. Discussion
When mounting motors, engines and other like objects to frame or frame-like assemblies, it is often necessary and/or desirable to incorporate a mounting structure which eliminates, or at least attenuates, the vibration normally associated with such devices. It is further often necessary or desirable to eliminate, or at least attenuate, the noise associated with vibration from motors, engines and the like.
Previously developed mounting structures which incorporate coil springs, leaf springs or the like generally are limited in their utility in that they are susceptible to transmitting vibrational noise from the engine or motor to the frame to which the mounting device is secured. Most heretofore developed mounting devices which incorporate coil springs or leaf springs also provide only a single, fixed "damping" action in attempting to attenuate the vibrational forces generated by many motors and engines, and to dampen external forces which the mounting device is subjected to.
For example, in certain applications such as with automobiles, engines are subjected to additional forces of acceleration and deceleration. These forces further complicate the process of attenuating vibrational forces and noises which are normally transmitted to the frame of the vehicle, and ultimately to the occupant(s) of the vehicle.
In automotive applications, the limitation of having a fixed damping is particularly troubling. The weight of many automotive engines often requires that engine mounting assemblies be used which provide a high spring constant (i.e., which are relatively "stiff"). Such mounting assemblies, however, often provide too much damping which causes unnecessary and undesirable vibrational movement forces to be transmitted to the frame of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a mounting assembly which provided at least two degrees of damping: one which would be relatively high to support the weight of an engine (i.e., to limit the displacement of the spring of the mounting device in a controlled manner up to a certain point of force), and a second degree to enable greater displacement of the spring of the device once a certain point of compressional or tensional force is reached or exceeded.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a variable shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus which provides varying degrees of vibrational damping in response to changing compression and tensional forces exerted upon it when it is mounted in-between a vibration generating device such as a motor and a frame or other like structure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a variable shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus which is operable to more effectively attenuate vibrational noise which would otherwise be transmitted through conventional mounting assemblies to a frame of frame-like structure.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a variable shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus which enables an object being supported, such as an engine, to be supported by a first spring constant, and movement of the engine or other like device to be controlled by a second spring constant.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide a variable shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus which is more compact and lighter in weight than heretofore developed mounting assemblies.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a variable shock absorbing compressional mounting apparatus which may be constructed relatively inexpensively from widely available materials.